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Shiftwork & Napping

Napping is often linked with laziness in our culture. But the truth is that if you are habitually sleep-deprived – as many people who work at night are – naps can be an effective way to supplement your regular sleep block.

In fact, numerous scientific studies have shown that a quick nap – 10 to 20 minutes – provides an alertness boost that lasts for many hours. Therefore a nap can mean the difference between falling asleep when you don’t want to (such as on the job or behind the wheel) and feeling alert through the most difficult overnight and early morning hours.

While you no doubt already have your own napping experiences, there are a few things you may be unaware of that can help you make the most of your naps. And if you’re one of those people who has difficulty napping – or believes that naps make you feel worse – this information may change your tune

The 5 Keys to Effective Napping are:

#1 - Nap preparation. At home, follow the same routines and guidelines you use when preparing for your regular sleep block. This means making your bedroom as dark and quiet as possible and avoiding caffeine, exercise and heavy, greasy food for several hours beforehand.

#2 - Nap timing. Because of ups and downs in your circadian rhythms, certain times are better than others for naps. During the day, the best napping window is in the afternoon, from about 1 to 5 p.m. Conversely, it may be difficult to nap between 7 and 9 p.m. because alertness tends to rise in the evening. In any case, listen to your body – is it telling you that now is a good time to sleep or not?

#3 - Nap length. Sleep experts agree that naps should either be relatively short (10 to 20 minutes) or very long (about 90 minutes). These recommended lengths are designed to minimize sleep inertia – the temporary grogginess and disorientation people often experience when they wake up from deep sleep. While nothing beats several hours of sleep, you may be surprised to learn that even a 15-minute power nap can really help you recharge your batteries.

#4 - Waking up. Even if you time your nap length well, you may still experience some sleep inertia, so it’s a good idea to clear your head before driving or doing anything potentially dangerous. You might also do the things that you ordinarily do when you wake up - such as washing your face, doing some exercise and having a cold drink of water or a cup of coffee or tea.

#5 - Find your nap personality. An important point about napping is that tremendous variation exists among individuals. Notwithstanding our advice about nap timing and length, some people have no trouble napping at any time of day, and some people are fond of hour long naps. By trying different nap times and lengths, you can find your nap personality and develop a strategy that works best for you.

Bonus Tip - Napping before a night shift. Have you ever tried taking a nap in the late-afternoon or early-evening before working a night shift? Many people who try this say they feel more alert and less tired during their shift. Give it a try and see if you notice a difference.

Here’s a new year’s resolution that you will want to uphold – a better night of sleep!

Below are 15 simple sleep (re)solutions that will help you sleep your way to a successful new year!

1. Turn off your technology before bed

The bright light emitted from computer screens, smartphones, and eReaders inhibit the production of melatonin and delay circadian rhythms. Recent research has revealed that nighttime eReader usage can reduce nighttime sleepiness, fragment sleep, and reduce alertness the following morning.

Avoid contact with light-emitting screens and other bright lights at least a couple of hours before you plan to go to bed.

2. Get a new alarm clock

A smartphone makes for a convenient alarm clock; however, sticking to the old-fashion alarm clock is a better choice. Phone notifications and messages throughout the night can result in sleep fragmentation and microarousals.

Not willing to buy an alarm clock? At the very least, put your phone on airplane mode and on the opposite side of the room from your bed.

3. Ditch the late afternoon latte

The effects of caffeine can last anywhere from 2.5 to 10 hours, which means that a mid-afternoon cup of coffee could result in tossing and turning when bedtime rolls around.

4. Set a Netflix limit

You’re only going to watch the first episode of the latest season of House of Cards? Unlikely.

Save yourself from a late-night Netflix binge by determining in advance how many episode you will watch before you go to start watching your shows. And for the love of sleep – don’t start the next season before bed!

5. Put a cap on the night caps

While that night cap may help you fall asleep faster, it will end up doing more harm than good to the quality of your sleep.

Alcohol initially acts as a sedative to decrease the amount of time it takes to fall asleep; however, it causes sleep to be fragmented, especially during the 2nd half of the night.

6. Develop a bedtime routine

Practicing a bedtime routine is ideal for preparing your mind and body for sleep. Listening to soothing music, taking a bath or shower, and light stretching are all great examples of bedtime routines that will help make falling asleep much easier.

7. No pets in the bed

It may be hard to kick your beloved pet out of the bedroom, but it’s for the best – we promise! Research this year found that of the individuals who shared the bed with their pets at least four nights a week, 63% reported poor sleep quality.

Some animals also operate on different biological clocks than humans. For instance, cats have poor biological rhythms of sleep and alertness, which can result in your playful cat waking you up at 4 AM.

8. Stick to your bedtime

While it may seem juvenile, a regular bed time can be incredibly helpful for the synchronization of your internal clock, which can help you to fall asleep easier. Setting a bed time will also help you to get the proper amount of sleep each night.

9. Don't be a clock watcher

When experiencing insomnia, clock-watching will often worsen the insomnia and make falling back to sleep much more challenging.

In order to avoid clock-watching behavior, refrain from sleeping with your phone at your bedside, and also cover alarm and TV clocks with black electric tape.

10. Stop falling for the snooze button

The extra sleep with the snooze button may actually be leaving your MORE tired than just getting up the first time!

When you hit the snooze button, your body may restart its sleep cycle, entering into deeper stages of sleep and causing you to feel groggy and tired upon waking up. It’s best to just wake up upon the first alarm, as your body prepares itself to wake up even before your alarm clock goes off.

Can’t seem to break your snooze button habit? Try putting your alarm clock on the opposite side of the room from your bed. This will force you to get out of bed to turn off the alarm, and decrease the likelihood of you hitting the snooze button.

11. Cut out noise

Try to keep your sleep environment as quiet as possible in order to avoid micro arousals. Some great ways to reduce external noise include using earplugs or a white noise machine.

If you are less inclined to purchase a white noise machine, there are plenty of CDs and MP3s of white noise sounds that can be used with a sound system.

12. Have a sleep disorders screening

Do you habitually snore? Have trouble falling asleep? Excessively tired during the day? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have an underlying sleep disorder.

It’s estimated that between 50-70 million Americans have a sleep and/or alertness disorder.1 Without proper treatment, these disorders can seriously impact your health and daily functioning. In fact, untreated obstructive sleep apnea has been linked to an increased risk of stroke, congestive heart failure, hypertension, and depression.

13. Start napping correctly

Need a mid-day boost? A power nap is the perfect solution – if done properly.

To maximize the effectiveness of your power nap, keep it shorter than 30 minutes to avoid sleep inertia, which can leave you feeling groggy for the rest of the day. Can’t fall asleep in that short of a time frame? Don’t worry about it! You don’t necessarily have to fall asleep to feel the benefits of a nap.

It’s also important not to nap too late in the day, as this can cause sleep troubles come bed time.

Napping trick: Drink a caffeinated beverage immediately before taking a nap so that you will feel supercharged after waking up from your nap.

14. Wake up at the same time every day

The strength of our circadian rhythms is dependent upon the consistency of our bed and wake times.

Getting up at the same time, every day (weekends too) strengthens our circadian rhythm, making it easier to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning.

If you want to catch up on some zzzs, try taking a mid-afternoon nap or even going to bed earlier.

15. Get more sleep!

Chronic sleep deprivation is a serious issue. Studies have found that individuals who routinely sleep less than 7 hours per night have an increased risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

If you’re getting less than 7 - 8 hours of sleep a night, your #1 New Year’s Resolution should be to get more sleep! With a good night of sleep, 2016 may be YOUR year to shine!

About CIRCADIAN

CIRCADIAN® is the global leader in providing 24/7 workforce performance and safety solutions for businesses that operate around the clock. Through a unique combination of consulting expertise, research and technology, software tools and informative publications, CIRCADIAN helps organizations with traditional and/or extended operating hours optimize employee performance and reduce the inherent risks and costs of sleep deprivation and fatigue.Resources

The simple answer is yes. Here's why:

3. Once our human operating limitations have been reached, we are at an escalated risk for errors, accidents and productivity losses.

4. The outcomes of human errors and accidents can be catastrophic.

As Dr. Martin Moore-Ede stated in his book, The Twenty-Four-Hour Society, “People don’t release smoke, grind gears, or have pieces fall off; but their equivalents – fatigue, error, injury, and ill health – do result in failure and breakdown."

Reason’s Approach

James Reason, a distinguished professor and author, developed the ‘Swiss Cheese Model of Accident Causation’ to illustrate that although multiple layers of defense lie between hazards and accidents, flaws, or ‘holes’, can exist in each layer. When these “holes” align, a pathway accidents emerges (Figure 1).

Given the nature of operational defenses, holes in the defense layers are dynamic and constantly opening, closing, and shifting within an organization – requiring an organization to continually re-evaluate the integrity of their defense systems.

When applying Reason’s logic to fatigue management, a fatigue-related accident or incident is the end point of a causal chain of successive lapses in a defense system. Therefore, an organization is responsible for developing a comprehensive defense system against fatigue; while its employees are responsible for arriving to work alert and fit-for-duty.

Applying Reason’s Logic to Fatigue Risk Management Systems

Reason’s Swiss Cheese Model of Defense was used to develop the model for comprehensive fatigue risk management systems (FRMS), which is now the international standard for managing and mitigating fatigue in operations (Figure 2).

CIRCADIAN '5 Defenses' FRMS Model

Interestingly, fatigue has a global cost to employers of over $100 billion per year, yet CIRCADIAN surveys reveal that only 10% of organizations have implemented a comprehensive fatigue risk management system. 1-2

This means that despite the overwhelming evidence that an FRMS is necessary for optimizing the safety and profitability of an operation, many organizations are choosing to forgo implementing these critical systems. But why?

Some would suggest that this counterintuitive behavior is a result of our optimism bias.

The Dangerous Optimism Bias

Optimism bias is a cognitive bias that causes a person to believe that he or she has a lower risk of experiencing a negative event compared to others.

When applied to operations management, the optimism bias can prevent managers from implementing the safety measures necessary to prevent a fatigue-related accident.

So how do you overcome this bias to ensure the safety of your operation?

Overcoming the Optimism Bias

To overcome the optimism bias, start by asking yourself the following key questions:

9. Do more accidents and injuries occur on night and weekend shifts as compared to day shifts during the work week? Have you been experiencing higher rates of accidents/injuries in general?

10. Does your operation have excessive workers’ compensation claims?

If you answered yes…

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider having a conversation with an expert to determine if your operation is facing serious challenges to its overall safety. If you answered yes to more than one of these questions, you should talk with an expert.

At this point, you may be telling yourself that now isn't the right time for that conversation – maybe later, next quarter, next promotion. Whatever it is that you're telling yourself to validate your procrastination – stop. Take the first step towards a safer operation – right now.

It’s easy to fall prey to optimism bias, however, disasters like Chernobyl, Three-Mile Island, and the 2005 Texas City Explosion are solemn reminders that fatigued workers can inadvertently make poor decisions at any moment that can result in grave consequences.

History tells the unfortunate tale of too many operations that chose to ignore worker fatigue and suffered catastrophic destruction, sky-high costs and even loss of life.

Clearly it’s time to make fatigue management a priority, if you haven’t done so already.

Workforces that have implemented a comprehensive FRM benefit from improvements in worker productivity, absenteeism, turnover and excessive overtime – along with many other added benefits.

These systems often accrue significant ROIs for companies, as was the case with Dupre’ Logistics (see below).

Take the First Step

Take the first step to a safer workforce by filling out the form below to set up a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our CIRCADIAN experts.{rsform 3}

Here’s a useful checklist that managers can use to identify which safety practices should be added to their shiftwork operation.

Require daytime managers to periodically work at night.

Managers who’ve experienced the challenges that of working at 4 A.M. are more likely to think of practical ways to improve the safety and wellness of their shiftworkers than managers who’ve never experienced a night shift.

Evaluate your work environment

Conduct a comprehensive review of your workplace to identify factors that contribute to fatigue – such as dim lighting, poor airflow, and warm temperatures (i.e. over 70 degrees).

Put shiftwork safety on the agenda

Make sure that overnight safety is a mandated discussion point at safety committee meetings and that night workers have a seat at the table.

Teach workers about sleep and napping

Getting enough off-duty sleep is the most effective way to maintain alertness. You can’t force workers to sleep, but you can ensure that they are given sufficient shiftwork lifestyle training to educate them on the fundamental importance of sleep, getting quality daytime sleep, and making the most of pre-work naps.

Permit several short breaks

Many shiftwork jobs involve doing the same task for long stretches of time. This monotony can induce microsleeps and other lapses in alertness – especially on the night shift. In addition to a 25- to 35-minute break per shift, workers on the night shift benefit from a 10- to 15-minute break every two or three hours.

Assess your schedule

No shiftwork schedule is perfect, but some are particularly difficult. Schedules that require workers to rotate backward (i.e., to go from nights to evenings to days) or work five or more consecutive 12-hour shifts can exacerbate fatigue levels.

Monitor overtime

People are more likely to make mistakes when they’ve accumulated a sleep debt from several days of insufficient sleep — which may result from excess overtime. Keep an eye on overall overtime levels (including a breakdown of day vs. night OT hours) and identify individual “overtime hogs” who accrue large amounts of extra work hours.

Standardize shift change procedures

A large proportion of accidents occur during shift changes because of the additional movement around the plant and the increased need for communication among workers. Make sure you have procedures in place that ensure a smooth transition between shifts.

Watch out for “The Wall”

Due to the dip in circadian rhythms, the hours between 4 and 6 A.M. are generally the hardest — and riskiest — hours of the night shift to work. Exercise has been shown to boost alertness, making an exercise bike or treadmill available for interested workers may minimize the risk of “hitting the wall”.

Don’t forget the drive home

Due to the increased risk of falling asleep at the wheel, the post-shift commute home is often a dangerous part of a shiftworker’s day. Provide workers with a quiet room to nap in before heading home.

Provide shiftwork lifestyle training

Whether it’s handing out relevant literature, providing training online, or holding in-person seminars – it’s always a wise idea to educate workers on the health and safety challenges of shiftwork. Providing shiftwork lifestyle training is also a great way to show workers that you recognize the unique challenges they face – which can improve employee morale.

Managing a Shiftwork Lifestyle Training

Working closely with researchers and experienced shiftworkers, CIRCADIAN has developed the Managing a Shiftwork Lifestyle training program to provide practical solutions for easing the adjustment and day-to-day difficulties associated with shiftwork lifestyles.

About CIRCADIAN

CIRCADIAN® is the global leader in providing 24/7 workforce performance and safety solutions for businesses that operate around the clock. Through a unique combination of consulting expertise, research and technology, software tools and informative publications, CIRCADIAN helps organizations in the 24-hour economy optimize employee performance and reduce the inherent risks and costs of their extended hours operations.

Twelve-hour shifts are still one of the most frequently debated topics in shift work management. Managers, shiftworkers, union representatives, federal regulators, corporate policy-makers, and academic experts continue to question and debate how 12-hour shifts compare to 8-hour shifts.

MYTH #1 - Converting to a 12-hour schedule will decrease the number of workers needed to staff the company.

FACT: The operation will still operate for the same number of hours per week and workers will still be working those hours – even though the number of hours may fluctuate week to week. This is why staffing levels typically remain unchanged when converting from 8- to 12-hour shifts.

If anything, more people may be required to run a 12-hour shift system than 8-hour shifts. Why? Because of absenteeism and overtime coverage.

When utilizing 8-hour shifts, management can provide labor coverage by asking workers to come in early or using holdovers. However, these strategies aren’t feasible with 12-hour shifts due to safety concerns, compliance and labor laws.

MYTH #2 - Any 12-hour schedule is better than the best 8-hour schedule.

FACT: Shiftworkers who are enthusiastic about the increased days off that come with 12-hour schedules may assert that changing to a 12-hour schedule will comprehensively solve all of the problems facing management and the workforce. While 12-hour shifts are becoming increasingly popular among 24/7 operations, a number of disadvantages are associated with 12-hour shifts.

Occasionally, we find that a management team has implemented a 12-hour schedule with the goal of providing workers with a schedule that provides more days and weekends off. Unfortunately, forcing any type of schedule onto workers without creating the necessary buy-in can backfire on management – ultimately resulting in a host of unexpected workforce challenges.

Many 12-hour schedules that have some excellent benefits over 8-hour schedules, however, some 12-hour schedules are physiologically demanding and socially disruptive. The only way to determine if a 12-hour schedule will be accepted is by communicating and interacting with workers at each plant site.

MYTH #3 - There are more practical 8-hour schedules than 12-hour schedules.

FACT: Even though 8-hour schedules are the most common and most widely used, there are actually many more practical 12-hour schedules available than 8-hour schedules. The simple mathematical combinations of 12-hour schedules allow for about 120 types of core 12-hour schedules, while there are approximately 40 types of core 8-hour schedules.

This does not mean that 12-hour schedules are necessarily always better than 8-hour schedules, but simply that there are more ways to design 12-hour schedules due to their flexible nature.

MYTH #4 - Shiftworkers will lose money by going to a 12-hour schedule.

FACT: Economic analysis will usually show that going from an 8-hour to a 12-hour shift schedule will increase wages by about 2%. This extra 2% arises from the fact that workers will typically work half of their weeks with 52 pay hours (i.e., 40 hours straight time and 8 hours at time and a half) and the other half of their weeks with 36 hours of straight time.

However, if cost neutrality is predetermined during the schedule design process, the actual increase in pay can be eliminated.

It’s important to determine how overtime will be handled when transitioning to 12-hour shifts. In some agreements between a company and the local union(s), overtime is paid for any work over 8 hours in a given day. This is not a federal law, but an agreement between the union and management.

We have found that this can be waived if the shiftworkers’ desire for 12-hour shifts is strong enough that they are willing to agree to cost neutrality. Federal law requires that overtime must only be paid on hours greater than 40 hours in the specified work week.

Note: Some states have different requirements related to overtime and 12-hour shifts. Make sure you understand the laws that effect overtime in your state.

MYTH #5 - Performance decreases on 12-hour shifts.

FACT: Validated and widely accepted research has shown just the opposite of this with a biocompatible schedule design. Performance may actually increase on 12-hour shifts when compared to 8-hour shifts.

Performance typically parallels alertness, which is strongly affected by one’s individual circadian peaks and troughs. Alertness fluctuates based on: (1) time of day, (2) amount of quality sleep that the individual has obtained, and (3) hours of sustained wakefulness. With proper training on managing a shiftwork lifestyle, workers can recognize and mitigate performance decrements across a shift. Management can also strategically plan shift start and end times to reduce risks and performance deficits related to circadian rhythmicity.

Also, the extra days off that are an integral part of most 12-hour schedules allow for more recuperative time between shifts. This extra rest time allows workers the time needed to fully recover from any sleep deprivation and come back for the next work days feeling better rested and able to perform to the best of his or her abilities.

Another feature of 12-hour shifts that can increase performance levels is the reduced number of shift turnovers. Performance often tends to decrease and errors tend to occur around shift change times. Twelve-hour schedules, with only two shift changes per day, cut this turnover risk by one-third.

In addition, 12-hour shifts allow more time to complete lengthy tasks, especially if a significant amount of preparation time is required before the work can begin.

MYTH #6 - Any worker can get used to a 12-hour shift schedule if he or she truly makes an effort.

FACT: Most workers can easily adapt to 12-hour shift schedules. However, for some workers, the 12-hour shift can be extremely difficult. Older workers occasionally find the length noticeably fatiguing and can have a difficult time recuperating from them, especially when working several consecutive days.

Single parents working 12-hour shifts can also struggle to find quality child care – especially when working night shifts.

Another factor that can make 12-hour shifts difficult is the type of work being done. In jobs with heavy lifting or physically challenging work, 12-hour shifts can be excessively fatiguing even with the extra recuperation days. Break schedules can make the difference in how easily the adjustment to 12-hour shifts is made. Consequently, it’s sometimes necessary to provide extra time for breaks when working 12-hour shifts.

MYTH #7 - Managers prefer 12-hour schedules.

FACT: Although 12-hour shifts are growing in popularity among 24/7 operations, not all managers prefer them. There are several implementation issues that require extra effort on the part of management when transitioning from an 8- to a 12-hour schedule.

For example, pay scales and compensation must be reviewed to insure cost neutrality. In essence, it’s much easier for managers to keep the facility on an 8-hour schedule rather than delve into the multitude of issues that must be resolved when changing from an 8-hour schedule to a 12-hour schedule.

Another factor that deters managers from preferring 12-hour schedules are the barriers to communication that these schedule present.

Communication between managers and workers can become more difficult on 12-hour schedules when compared to 8-hour schedules. A greater amount of flexibility is necessary on the part of managers to insure proper communication. This can mean having to schedule meetings and other functions at hours inconvenient for managers in order to accommodate 12-hour shiftworkers.

Want to learn more about managing 24/7 operations?

The Advantages & Disadvantages of 12-Hour Shifts. A Balanced Perspective.

Twelve-hour shifts are still one of the most frequently debated topics in shift work management. Managers, shiftworkers, union representatives, federal regulators, corporate policy-makers, and academic experts continue to question and debate how 12-hour shifts compare to 8-hour shifts.

• What is the impact on performance productivity and quality?

• What effects do they have on shift worker alertness, health and family life?

About CIRCADIAN®

CIRCADIAN® is the global leader in providing 24/7 workforce performance and safety solutions for businesses that operate around the clock. Through a unique combination of consulting expertise, research and technology, software tools and informative publications, CIRCADIAN helps organizations in the 24-hour economy optimize employee performance and reduce the inherent risks and costs of their extended hours operations.

Nearly 20% of the workforce worldwide work at times outside of 7 AM - 6 PM due to evening shifts, night shifts, or rotating shifts.1

Shift work has been connected to a higher prevalence in obesity, diabetes, metabolic disturbances, and cardiovascular morbidity.2

The increased health problems related to shift work are thought to be at least partially due to circadian misalignment that results in reduced insulin sensitivity, poorer glucose regulation and altered patterns of leptin and cortisol secretion.3

Sleep deprivation is also thought to be a contributor to the increased health problems seen among shift work populations, as shift workers often report greater sleep difficulties and reduced sleep quantity as compared to typical daytime employees.4 It's been well documented that sleep deprivation is an independent risk factor for many of the health detriments associated with shift work.5

Recent research has investigated the impact of delayed timing of eating on weight and metabolism. In a recent review of the evidence to date, scientists make a strong case that delayed timing of eating could be a contributing factor to weight gain and metabolic dysregulation.6

Weight Gain & Timing of Eating - Research Findings

Research on the impact of delayed timing of eating on weight and metabolism has provided the following insights:

- Delays in the typical daytime pattern of eating has been found to increase the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome in humans.2,7

- Delayed sleep timing is associated with poorer diet and later eating times, the latter of which is related to higher BMI.8

- Evening type (owls) chronotype, as compared to the morning type (lark), has also been found to be associated with larger meals, later eating times, and higher BMI.9-11

- Descriptive studies of non-eating disordered adults found that breakfast intake was negatively related to total daily caloric intake and weight gain, 12,13 while the proportion of food consumed late at night was positively related to total energy intake.14

- One study found that distributing the majority of meals to the morning for 6 weeks resulted in greater weight loss compared to distributing the majority of meals to the afternoon and evening for 6 weeks.15

Conclusion

Results from various studies collectively suggest that nighttime eating may contribute to weight gain, or, at a minimum, maintenance of increased weight.6

Based on this body of research, behavioral modification strategies that might promote weight loss or prevent weight gain include:

- Eating lunch earlier in the daytime 16

- Eliminating eating in the evening after 7-8 PM 8,17

- Avoiding sleep restriction when dieting 18

- Advancing bedtime 8

Implications for Shift Workers

While these new behavioral modification strategies are promising to individuals operating within a typical circadian rhythm, shift workers can face various challenges when implementing these strategies.

Given the unique challenges that shift workers face, health strategies such as timing of eating must be modified to best fit one’s schedule.

Shiftwork Lifestyle Training

Adjusting to a shiftwork lifestyle isn’t intuitive, and most shiftworkers don’t know how to adjust their lifestyle to minimize the negative effects of working around the clock. As a result, workers’ job performance, safety, health, and family life can suffer as company profits and productivity fall.

Training workers on how to manage a shiftwork lifestyle is a powerful tool for improving your employees’ physical and psychological well-being, thereby increasing morale and effectiveness, while potentially reducing health care costs.

CIRCADIAN® Managing a Shiftwork Lifestyle Training

Working closely with researchers and experienced shiftworkers, CIRCADIAN has developed the Managing a Shiftwork Lifestyle training program to provide practical solutions for easing the adjustment and day-to-day difficulties associated with shiftwork lifestyles.

About CIRCADIAN®

CIRCADIAN® is the global leader in providing 24/7 workforce performance and safety solutions for businesses that operate around the clock. Through a unique combination of consulting expertise, research and technology, software tools and informative publications, CIRCADIAN helps organizations in the 24-hour economy optimize employee performance and reduce the inherent risks and costs of their extended hours operations.

Managing 24/7 operations comes with a host of challenges that many daytime-only operations don’t have to consider. Based on our expertise in 24/7 workforce solutions, here are five useful tips for managing 24/7 operations.

TIP 1: Examine your business reasons for operating around-the-clock

Many operations involve processes that require the operation to run continuously – however, some operations have a choice, one that is often made largely on economic grounds.

A variety of factors should be taken into consideration when deciding on whether or not to run operations continuously (i.e. 24-hours a day).

There are many compelling economic advantages to running nonstop, 24/7 operations, including: increased utilization of capital investment, improvements in customer service, and reduced pay-back time for investments in automation.

Each of these provide a sizable operational advantage, especially when labor costs are a small percentage of the total budget. Additionally, if the alternative to running continuous operations is to purchase major equipment or build a new plant, the financial advantages of running nonstop can be considerable.

Financial disadvantages of running 24/7 operations include potentially significant excess costs due to employee fatigue, which can emerge as increased errors, accidents, legal liability, turnover, health care costs, labor relations, and absenteeism. Remember – just one serious error of inattention by a sleepy employee can cost a company millions or even billions of dollars.

In many organizations, the costs of human fatigue are hidden costs buried in the budgets of the operation – however, these very real costs should be quantified and included in decision-making processes.

It’s critical that the financial implications are calculated for both major fatigue-related accidents and the cumulative costs of smaller fatigue-induced errors that reduce productivity, impair quality, damage equipment and increase scrap and rework.

TIP 2: Recognize and respect the limits of the “human machine”

We are taught that people should not be treated like machines; however, if we thought of people as highly complex machines, we might have a greater respect for their limitations.

Machines have design specifications and operating manuals that tell us the conditions under which we can use them. The human body is an exceedingly complex machine with very constrained performance limits, which we must respect if we are to reliably perform the tasks modern society demands.

We’re not designed to operate continuously around-the-clock, or on irregular schedules, or with consistent performance no matter the time of day or night. Human performance doesn’t occur linearly.

With these and many other such limits to human physiology in mind, think carefully about the tasks you are expecting people to perform, the work and rest schedules you expect them to live, and the workplace conditions you have created for them. Are you respecting and adapting to human physiological limits and building on the strengths of the human machine, or are you setting up your shiftworkers for failure or impaired performance?

TIP 3: Educate your workforce on the biological basis of shift work challenges

When it comes to managing people in continuous operations, supervisors and managers can incorrectly rely on intuition when assessing and addressing the needs of shift workers.

For an operation to run safely, it’s important that both management and workers understand the physiological principles of alertness, sleep, fatigue and circadian rhythms. Education can be provided with formal training about human sleep and alertness physiology – supplemented by readings, manuals, classes, online training, and/or seminars.

With an understanding of basic human physiology, managers and supervisors can make educated decisions that will enhance the alertness, effectiveness and health of your 24/7 workforce, rather than unintentionally undermine them.

TIP 4: Position fatigue risk management as a win-win for labor and management

Effective fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) require that management and employees work together cooperatively to combat the root causes of fatigue. This is essential because part of the solution lies in the employees’ hands and part is controlled by management.

CIRCADIAN experts agree that an FRMS can be launched even under the most difficult labor-management relations, as long as the win-win nature of the outcome is fully communicated and understood.

Considerable benefits exist for employees including improved sleep, quality of life, health and well-being. Likewise for management, major improvements can be achieved in safety, quality, productivity, employee morale and plant performance – all of which impact the bottom line.

The challenge, of course, is to build trust between management and employees to the point where all levels of management and all employees (and their union representatives if the facility is organized) can listen to and understand the win-win outcomes that are possible.

Neutral, third-party experts can provide the credibility and trust needed to implement an effective FRMS and can aid in communications between management and workers to ease underlying tensions.

TIP 5: Build a seamless continuous operations culture

Running a successful 24/7 operation requires a full commitment to the development of a continuous operations culture – where Wednesday afternoon is no different from Sunday night.

This is a challenge for many operations, as life is different on all shifts, especially in a fixed shift environment. How do you create one culture? One set of values? One operating standard?

Are all shifts supported equally? If not, problems can emerge in terms of employee morale, operational safety, productivity, and quality control due to differing levels of attention, training, supervision, experience, and/or motivation across various crews.

Professionalizing your entire 24-hour operation requires building a unified culture, where the corporate mission is well-defined, and standards and policies are uniformly applied 168 hours a week.

The end goal is to retain employees who see their jobs as a full-time commitment, who develop a loyalty to the entire operation and not just one crew, and who can move from crew to crew when necessary.

To earn this degree of employee commitment, an operation must make a sincere commitment to the safety and health of the entire workforce – all crews, at all hours. This is the only way in which an operation can develop a seamless, continuous operations culture.

Want to learn more about managing 24/7 operations?

About CIRCADIAN®

CIRCADIAN® is the global leader in providing 24/7 workforce performance and safety solutions for businesses that operate around the clock. Through a unique combination of consulting expertise, research and technology, software tools and informative publications, CIRCADIAN helps organizations in the 24-hour economy optimize employee performance and reduce the inherent risks and costs of their extended hours operations.

Link between insomnia and work performance on the night shift

The study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan on the night shift found that of the workers who regularly experienced insomnia, workers who reported feeling alert on the night shift demonstrated greater degrees of impairment in work productivity and cognitive function than workers who reported excessive sleepiness on the night shift.

The study also found that alert insomniacs reported significantly greater fatigue than sleepy insomniacs, which emphasizes the difference between fatigue and sleepiness.

Fatigue vs Sleepiness

While fatigue and sleepiness may seem like synonymous terms, there are subtle, but distinct differences between the two terms.

As explained in the ‘The Definition of Human Fatigue’, fatigue is an impairment of mental and physical functioning manifested by a cluster of symptoms, one of which is sleepiness.

Fatigue is a term that embodies the feelings of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy that result from a variety of causes including: sleep deprivation, sleep disorders, illness, therapeutic side effects, stress, mental or physical exertion, and/or rebounds from stimulant drug usage.

Sleepiness, on the other hand, is a symptom of fatigue characterized by an inability to stay awake and an increased propensity to fall asleep.

Significance of findings

The findings from this study are significant, as a recent meta-analysis of 27 observational studies found that sleep problems among shift workers increase the risk of workplace injuries by 62 percent.

Workers were 2x more likely to suffer a work injury if diagnosed with a sleep disorder, while workers with a diagnosed sleep disorder and suffering from poor sleep quality had a 3x greater risk of a work injury.

Insomnia prevalence in U.S. workforce

One Harvard Medical School study found that 1 in 4 U.S. workers suffers from insomnia, costing U.S. employers $63 billion in lost productivity each year.

A study on the relationship between insomnia and productivity revealed that insomniacs were no more likely than their well-rested peers to miss work; however, their on-the-job sleepiness due to insomnia cost their employers the equivalent of 7.8 days of work in lost productivity each year – with the average cost totaling $2,280 per person.

Chronic vs acute insomnia

WebMD defines insomnia as a sleep disorder characterized by an inability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep. Insomnia can vary in how long it lasts and how often it occurs.

Insomnia can either occur sporadically over a period of days or weeks, known as acute insomnia, or it can be an ongoing problem that occurs at least three nights a week for a month or longer, known as chronic insomnia. Insomnia can also disappear and reappear, with periods of time in which a person has no sleep problems, while other times a person experiences persistent sleep problems.

Insomnia treatment options

Various treatment options exist for insomnia, including cognitive behavioral therapy, lifestyle changes, and various medications.

In recent years, cognitive behavioral therapy has been the recommended initial treatment option for insomnia due to its high efficacy rate and long-lasting benefits without adverse side effects.

GoodSleep®Â

The program lead developer was Dr. Gregg Jacobs, a leading authority on the treatment of insomnia and who has spent the last 25 years researching and treating sleep problems at Harvard Medical School and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Dr. Jacobs’ CBT-I program was used to develop CIRCADIAN GoodSleep®, a 5-week, self-guided audio and/or workbook-based program for people to improve their sleep by implementing behavior modifications. GoodSleep® has been proven to help hundreds of thousands of people to improve their sleep.

GoodSleep® is now a critical part of CIRCADIAN’s Corporate Sleep Programs, which offer corporations customized and research-based solutions to address the issue of Sleep Wellness for all levels of a corporation or organization’s workforce. GoodSleep currently aims to improve sleep for night time sleepers; however, plans are in place to develop a GoodSleep program aimed to help shift workers with their sleep.

A Conversation with GoodSleep® Creator, Dr. Gregg Jacobs

A good day starts with GoodSleepTM

How an employee sleeps at night directly impacts how they function and perform at work, thereby impacting productivity, safety, health, health care costs, and more. While a company can outsource sleep education and training with CIRCADIAN’s Corporate Sleep Programs™, they cannot outsource an employee’s sleep.

Enter GoodSleep®.

CIRCADIAN® is the global leader in providing research, technology and consulting services to companies that operate around the clock. Recognizing that demands on the global workforce increasingly stretch the boundaries of employee work hours, there is a need to provide sleep solutions for ALL corporate employees, including those who sleep at night. CIRCADIAN’S Corporate Sleep Programs are designed to address their sleep and fatigue issues for those who work “normal” daytime hours.

About Dr. Gregg Jacobs

Dr. Jacobs is a leading authority on the treatment of insomnia and has spent the last 25 years researching and treating sleep problems at Harvard Medical School and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Dr. Jacobs developed the first drug-free program for insomnia, which has proven to be, more effective than sleeping pills. He has taught his insomnia program to thousands of patients and to major corporations, such as Raytheon, Biogen, Reebok, and Fidelity. Dr. Jacobs used his revolutionary insomnia program to develop GoodSleep.

About GoodSleep

GoodSleep is a 5-week, self-guided audio and/or workbook-based program for people to improve their sleep by implementing behavior modifications. This CBT program has been proven to help hundreds of thousands of people to improve their sleep.

Nancy Rothstein, Director of CIRCADIAN’s Corporate Sleep Programs, had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Gregg Jacobs to ask him about trends in sleep habits and the role of GoodSleep in correcting sleep problems.

How did you become involved in the field of sleep?

Dr. Jacobs: I specialized in behavioral medicine and health psychology, two fields in medicine and psychology that were concerned with the impact of stress and lifestyle on health. Because sleep problems are so common, and non-drug methods could clearly be applied to the treatment of insomnia as an alternative to sleeping pills, I became very interested in behavioral sleep medicine and insomnia.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, 60% of adults report sleep problems a few nights a week or more. Why do so many people have sleep issues?

Dr. Jacobs: Because sleep is affected by, and affects, so many medical and psychological conditions. Sleep is also directly tied to stress and many of the alterations in our environment in modern life such as 24/7 lifestyle and technology and blue light exposure at night.

There is so much in the press these days about sleep, what to do and what not to do. How can a person define what constitutes healthy sleep for themselves?

Dr. Jacobs: Healthy sleep entails the amount of sleep that allows them to feel alert and energetic during the day, which is between seven to nine hours of sleep for the vast majority of adults.

How do you know if you need to see your physician or a sleep specialist to diagnose and treat a possible sleep disorder?

Dr. Jacobs: The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) methods taught in GoodSleep have been proven more effective than sleeping pills in treating nocturnal insomnia, but if you have an underlying medical condition or sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, restless legs or narcolepsy, you should consult your doctor for your diagnosis and specific treatment of that condition, in order to reap the full benefits of GoodSleep.

What are the most common sleep issues that GoodSleep can address?

Dr. Jacobs: Anyone who has difficulty falling asleep or can’t stay asleep, whether this occurs occasionally or regularly, and is not getting enough sleep. The program is also very effective for helping those who are taking sleeping pills, to reduce or eliminate the pills.

How does GoodSleep work?

Dr. Jacobs: GoodSleep is a cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (or CBT-I for short) program that is based on almost three decades of sleep research and clinical practice at the Harvard and UMass Memorial Medical Centers. CBT-I is a technique that changes the sleep behaviors that are causing sleep problems. It is structured, sleep-focused, and easy to implement for most people. Learned thoughts and behaviors that are keeping you from getting a good night’s sleep can be unlearned or changed with CBT.

For people having a hard time sleeping, CBT helps them learn to:

Change stressful, untrue thoughts about sleep;

Change behaviors that keep them awake;

Improve relaxation skills; and,

Improve lifestyle habits that affect sleep.

How much time does GoodSleep take to use?

Dr. Jacobs: GoodSleep requires about three minutes per week to review the techniques in the program and put those techniques into effect.

What are the components of GoodSleep?

Dr. Jacobs: The components of GoodSleep include:

Sleep scheduling techniques to change negative sleep patterns;

Establishing healthy sleep habits and behaviors to make the bed a stronger cure for sleep;

Guided bedtime relaxation exercises;

Tips on simple lifestyle changes that improve sleep; and,

Techniques to reduce and eliminate sleep medication.

Does GoodSleep’s CBT technique alone lead to success or are there other factors involved in sustainable sleep improvement?

Dr. Jacobs: Sustainable improvement is based on the individual being motivated to maintain the use of the learned techniques. Because these techniques become more ‘automatic’ over time, and long-term follow- up data indicates that people experience even greater improvement in sleep over time. People clearly maintain their use of the techniques without much difficulty.

Can you tell us about the success of your program?

Dr. Jacobs: There has been an 80% success in significantly improving sleep for people who have difficulty sleeping. This program has helped to reduce or eliminate use of sleeping pills for 90% of people who use them.

Why do you think a corporation should invest in the sleep education and training, including GoodSleep, for its workforce?

Dr. Jacobs: Sleep problems are amongst the most prevalent of all health problems. Workers with sleep problems will perform more poorly, and cost their employers more, than good sleepers. There is no other health problem that can have a more direct negative effect on daytime performance and productivity.

So how do you get started? We invite you to visit GoodSleep on our website for more information.

We also invite you to learn more about CIRCADIAN’s Corporate Sleep Programs® to consider how investing in sleep education and training for your workforce has an ROI and results in optimizing performance, minimizing health care costs and safety risks, and improving the health and well-being of your workforce...and your company.

]]>Shifting Work PerspectivesFri, 05 Jun 2015 17:19:39 +0000Q&A: How often should shift workers take breaks?http://circadian.com/blog/item/65-qa-how-often-should-shift-workers-take-breaks.html
http://circadian.com/blog/item/65-qa-how-often-should-shift-workers-take-breaks.html

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Many employers provide work breaks to employees, whether paid or unpaid; however, this common practice isn’t federally mandated – with the exception of required breaks for nursing mothers. Fewer than half of the states require employers to provide a meal break, and the specifications of these required breaks vary by state.

Often times, workers on 8-hour shifts are allotted two, 10-15 minute breaks, along with a 30-minute meal break, and those on 12-hour shifts are allotted three short breaks and a longer meal break.

While this is a common practice, it’s not necessarily the best practice for every operation. When on the night shift, for instance, shortening meal breaks while increasing the number of short breaks can increase the effectiveness of breaks.

In operations that allow for workers to easily cover for one another, workers should be encouraged to take a 10-15 minute break after roughly two hours of continuous work. This can mean as many as four breaks on an 8-hour schedule and five breaks on a 12-hour schedule (including the shortened meal break).

Frequent, short breaks allow workers enough time to leave their work stations for a quick walk or to eat a snack, which in turn can reduce fatigue and/or boredom while on duty.

The short-break strategy offers several advantages over the traditional model – not just in terms of employee morale and productivity, but safety as well.

Safety Implications of Short Breaks

In one study examining the impact of breaks on the risk of workplace injuries, workers in an engineering plant were each given a 15-minute break following two hours of continuous work.

For analytical purposes, the two hour work period was segmented into four, 30-minute periods; the number of injuries within each of these periods was calculated, and the risk in each 30-minute period was expressed relative to the first 30-minute period immediately following the break.1

As depicted in Figure 1, relative injury risk rose substantially and linearly between successive work breaks, with the relative risk more than doubling by the final 30-minute period before the next break.

Figure 1. Trend in Relative Risk between 15-Minute Breaks1

Interestingly, this trend didn’t differ between the day and night shifts, or for the three successive 2-hour periods of continuous work within each shift. It’s important to note, however, that the relative injury risk is collectively higher on the night shift than on the day shift.

Frequent, short breaks can clearly be a win-win solution for both workers and management that reduces fatigue, while simultaneously improving morale and safety.